SEE-THROUGH COMPUTER DISPLAY SYSTEMS

• US 20160286210A1
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Osterhout Design Group
• Original Assignee: Osterhout Design Group
• Inventors: Border, John N., Haddick, John D.
• Application Number:
  US14/671,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20160286210A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0127 comprising devices increasing the depth of field
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0154 with movable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0156 with optionally usable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0185 Displaying image at variable distance
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/08 adapted to co-operate with a remote control mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2202/20 Diffractive and Fresnel lenses or lens portions
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/022 Ophthalmic lenses having special refractive features achieved by special materials or material structures G02C7/049 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/361 Reproducing mixed stereoscopic images; Reproducing mixed monoscopic and stereoscopic images, e.g. a stereoscopic image overlay window on a monoscopic image background
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/371 for tracking viewers with different interocular distances; for tracking rotational head movements around the vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 : Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/008 : Aspects relating to glasses for viewing stereoscopic images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3152 : for shaping the light beam beam shaping per se G02B27/09
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/317 : Convergence or focusing systems electronic adjustment of convergence H04N9/3185; convergence or focusing arrangements for cathode ray tubes H04N9/28; means for automatic focusing of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3176 : wherein the projection device is incorporated in a camera details of cameras adapted for combination with a projector not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B17/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3185 : Geometric adjustment, e.g. keystone or convergence optical or mechanical adjustment of convergence H04N9/317; using scanning means H04N3/22; optical or mechanical adjustments of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to methods and systems for the see-through computer display systems with focus and/or vergence adjustment systems.

Claims

1. A method to adjust focus distance of a displayed image in correspondence to eye movements of a user in a head-worn display comprised of an integrated processor, an inertial measurement unit and left and right optics modules each including:

display optics with a focus adjustment module, one or more lenses and a combiner; and

a camera that captures images of the user'"'"'s eye, comprising;

a. capturing images of at least one of the user'"'"'s eyes with the camera;

b. analyzing the captured images with the processor to determine the relative direction the user'"'"'s eye is looking;

c. determining the portion of the displayed image the user is looking at from the determined relative direction the user'"'"'s eye is looking; and

d. controlling the focus adjustment module to adjust a focus distance for the displayed image in correspondence to the determined portion of the image the user is looking at.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of, determining a gaze direction of the head-worn display with the inertial measurement unit, comparing the relative direction the user'"'"'s eye is looking to the determined gaze direction to determine a compass direction the user is looking.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising two cameras to capture images of the left and right eyes of the user.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of, analyzing the images of the user'"'"'s left and right eyes to determine the relative directions the user'"'"'s left and right eyes are looking.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of;

analyzing the difference between the relative directions the user'"'"'s left and right eyes are looking to determine the vergence viewing distance of the user; and

adjusting a vergence distance associated with a portion of the displayed image in correspondence to the vergence viewing distance.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of;

comparing the vergence viewing distance to the vergence distance associated with the determined portion of the image that the user is looking at to determine whether the user is looking at the displayed image or the see-through view of the surrounding environment.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the focus distance is adjusted continuously in response to changes in the relative direction the user'"'"'s eye is looking.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the displayed image is a stereo image and further comprising the step of;

adjusting the focus distance and vergence distance in correspondence to the determined portion of the stereo image the user'"'"'s eyes are looking at and a disparity associated with that portion of the stereo image.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the head-worn display further comprises a camera to capture an image of the surrounding environment in front of the user and further comprising the step of;

if the user is looking at the see-through view of the surrounding environment, an object is identified in the captured image of the surrounding environment that the user is looking at based on the determined relative direction the user'"'"'s left and right eyes are looking.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the displayed image is modified based on the identified object in the surrounding environment that the user is looking at.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the camera further comprises autofocus and the method includes the step of determining a focus setting of the autofocus based on metadata associated with captured image of the user'"'"'s eye to determine the presence of a corrective lens.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the adjustment of the focus adjustment module is modified depending on whether a corrective lens is determined to be present.